The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1887-04-13

| II looked extremely innocent. They moved
| it and made little noise.
@Douse yer glimI- they heard voice say.
HStand here, sis, right by the curtain v
whispered Harry 20 hot feilers the enemy
| is upon your he shouted aloud.
There was stumble and push against
the curtain But in the blind darkness the
amateur robbers could not get out
"Now we've got you where Moses was
when the light went OUT said the tantaliz-
| ing child Guess that conundrum. Say,
| boys. where was Moses when the light went
| outE-
No answer Shirley lifted the curtain sud
denly and let light into the proceedings As
| she did so half dozen boys dodged back into
| the recesses of AN underground hole deep
| enough to stand upright in. Among them
were Tom, Percy and Pet Carstone- The rest
| quickly made their escape. They SUNK in
| silence before glance of command which
they knew too well to disobey. The cave
| looked like junk shop.
Shirley picked up and threw down in rapid
succession, respectively, a meat knife, rusty
| pistol a jewsharp and coil of rope.
~And here, as l live, you've got fathers
sword in this dirt holel Now tell me who did
| thisi You. Petite boy father used to sing
to sleep in his arms till you were years
/
| Nice boy you are, aren't you!
He hung his head.
The Carstone boys surrendered uncon-
ditionally to General Shirley. Three fallen
heroes marched sullenly and silently in front
of the enemy to the house. They vanished
ignobly to their dungeon cells, otherwise
1 their beds.
And Shirley-well, when Shirley had dis
posed of them, she went to the room mutually
| occupied by herself and the youngest Car
| stone, and sat down and laughed as she had
not done in years. 1t was the youth in her
that laughed-the daring, fun loving, eternal
| youth.
| But there was no more Robbers Cave.
The boys had deep grudge at the Presby-
terian minister. How they paid it off re-
mains to be recorded This devout and
learned man was extremely dignitied- he
was also particular in his personal appear
ance What could be more proper in a
teacher of that gospel which proclaims that
| cleanliness is next TO godlinesss Nothing.
From much delving in lore and much pro
| found thought, the good man had lost his
| hair prematurely. The sisters in the church
had it that their pastor had studied the hair
| off his head In truth, he as bald an
onion.
He may be easily pardoned for seeking to
| remedy his misfortune as best he might The
| good man wore a wig. But it was not vanity
| that led him to wear a wig. 1t was to keep
| him from taking cold. He himself said it.
Getting an influenza in the head was bad for
the effectiveness of religious oratory. He
had to be particular on this point. There
ore, no living creature in Linwood had ever
seen the minister without his wig, unless ii
was the cat. Being widower may or may
not have emphasized the liability TO influenza.
| At any rate, though, nothing could be more
| dignifed and decorous and spotless than the
reverend gentlemans appearance, wig and
| all. The ladies of the church took pride in it.
Twas prayer meeting night. In the back
of the church was door, long unused II
was directly in the rear of the platform
whereon the minister sat
The people were assembled for the begin
| ming OF the service The minister was in hi:
place Near the platform, likewise in hi:
| proper place. sat Deacon Durham, most rigid
and devout of all.
1t was the impressive moment when the ex
ercises were about beginning. The minister
had already said "ahemn to clear his throat.
Suddenly there came three loud and hollow
raps at the long unused door behind the min
ister. The congregation started. The like
had never been known before.
The three hollow raps were repeated, like &
greeting from the spirit world. Being mex
the door the preacher himself unfastened it
The minister was a man of action III,
pulled the door open hastily. terribl,
white figure stood there, CHASTITY and gigan
tic 1t looked as tall as the meeting hous'
steeple. An awful spirit arm waved in tn.
air an instant, ghostly hand swooped dow
and clutched the minister's sacred wig anC
bore It gently away to realms of air. Th'
door was closed. silently and suddenly by in
visible spirits. The minister was left stand
ing there in sight of all the folk, bald anC
shiny.
CONSERVATION seized all Deacon Durham
recovered himself first. He made dash fol
the door. The spirit hands held it closed OF
the outside It was impossible to open it
The Deacon made dash for the front door
He ran around the outside of the church. Al
was darkness and silence. Sinful hands haC
profaned the church back door, and affixed
| bolt to the outside.
Over the scene inside the sanctuary mean
| time the curtain falls.
There was no preaching next Sabbath
The minister was not well, it was said. Blu
it was said, again, by the goddess that he hat
gone to the city to get a new wig.
Yet fresh proclamation of the sanctuary
froze with horror the marrow of the deyou
| in Linwood The children assembled fo
SaJhath school as usual. The key of tn
sacred edifice could not be found. Suddenly
when the whole school was waiting, the Ike,
was produced, the door was opened, and th
teacher and children were admitted. On tn
pulpit desk-yea, perched upon the yer.
Bible itself-was a sleeps head. Upon tn
sleeps head, alas the day! was the identica
wig clutched from the minister's head by th
spirit hand, prayer meeting night
But to this day the perpetrators of tn
scandalous outrage are unknown. Its origii
remains matter of mystery. That, too, i
where Moses was when the light went out-il
| the dark.